Here's To Us

Quinn watched Nathan and Haley's front door click shut behind Clay, his bright smile etched into her memory. She could sense her sister's eyes on her, the smirk visible on Haley's lips. "Your face is totally doing that twitchy thing of liking a boy again," she teased.

"I wasn't imagining that, was I?" Quinn asked faintly. "He definitely put falling insanely in love with me in Nathan's contract?"

"He did," Haley confirmed. "How do you feel? You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'll let you know," said Quinn vaguely, staring at the door longingly. "That just took my breath away."

"You and me both." Quinn looked up at the sound of Nathan's voice, leaning into the hug he offered. "I left Jamie rifling through the trash to save his Bobcats jersey."

"Congratulations, Nate," said Quinn warmly. "I think we're both on a high tonight. How does it feel to be on top again?"

"It feels like my agent is a freaking badass," he replied. "I feel bad for ever doubting him."

"Am I allowed to say I told you so?" Quinn couldn't help the grin lighting up her whole face. "I told you; he loves you."

"Not as much as he loves you from the sound of it," Nathan laughed. "Do I need to give him The Talk?"

"You've done plenty, thank you!" Quinn smacked his arm playfully, but she could no longer keep her gaze off the front door.

"You should go after him," Haley prompted. "It's so obvious you want to."

"I really do," her sister agreed distractedly, already half-way out the door. "I'll see you guys later. There better not be any more objections about my sleepovers at the beach house!"

"You're forgiven," Haley giggled, but the door had already slammed. Haley looked at Nathan, her eyes sparkling. "She's in love," she said simply. "I know the feeling."

"So do I." Nathan nodded, lifting her up and twirling in a circle. Dreams were coming true all around.

Nobody was home when Quinn reached the beach house. She had no idea what instinct drew her to the sandy shores, but she slipped around the building towards the ocean as if attracted by an invisible magnet. Halfway down the sloping sand, she spotted Clay's suit jacket lying abandoned on the beach. The thin shawl around her shoulders flapped in the ocean breeze, and Quinn held it tightly as she scoured the beach. She always hesitated to get too close to the water, intimidated by the ocean's vastness. But today, a white-shirted figure drew her gaze in the shallow waves. The reason for her fluttering heart was in sight.

The wind and the waves were a chaotic symphony in her ears as Quinn raised her voice. "What are you doing?"

Clay spun around and grinned so widely it made her feel positively weak at the knees. "Facing the immensity, I guess?" he shrugged playfully. "Hold on, I'll come back in."

"No." Quinn surprised herself by shaking her head. "I'll come out." She let her shawl drop next to Clay's jacket in the sand and inched her way towards the water. Her strides grew bigger when she reached the waves, both because it was cold and to face the fear faster.

Fortunately, she didn't have far to go before she could reach Clay's hand. "You're smiling," he noted. "What happened to the fear of immensity?"

"I guess you make me brave," Quinn giggled, but she clutched his fingers hard. "Don't let go! I just…I had a question."

"I've got you," Clay promised, prompting her with his curious gaze. "What was your question?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Quinn asked seriously. "About falling in love with me?"

"I believe I said insanely in love," Clay reminded her. "Of course I meant it."

The fire in his eyes was making Quinn blush so hard she couldn't even feel how cold the water was anymore. Her arms snaked around his neck, and Clay's lips became her anchor against all the anxiety the ocean always triggered.

Later, Quinn felt certain she would never underestimate the power of adrenaline again. Her heart pounded as she dropped onto Clay's couch at the beach house, and her fingers shook so badly that she was afraid she might spill her beer. "That was incredible," she breathed in awe. "We actually did it!"

"Do you mean Nathan's deal or facing the immensity?" Clay asked. The deep despair she'd noticed in his eyes for almost as long as she'd known him had dimmed. A delightful twinkle had replaced the sorrow, melting Quinn's heart. "I can't thank you enough for all your help, Q. Thanks for not letting me become that company retreat cautionary tale."

"I mean both, I suppose…I knew you would never let Nathan down." Quinn threw all caution to the wind and sidled closer to Clay on the couch, clasping his hand tightly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." Clay shot her a modest smile. "You should be proud of yourself too, missy. The way you walked out into the waves after everything you've told me was incredibly badass."

"I still can't believe I actually did that," Quinn giggled breathlessly. "That should tell you something about how mutual the whole insanely in love thing is."

"I think all these victories call for a toast," Clay proposed, raising his beer to clink against Quinn's bottle. "Here's to…facing the immensity?"

"Good one," the brunette agreed. "To facing the immensity and falling insanely in love."

"It sounds so cheesy when you say it like that," Clay groaned, covering his eyes in mortification. "What was I thinking?"

"I'm pretty sure there was no thinking involved, babe. Only feeling," Quinn pointed out. "That's what made it so perfect. I haven't felt so in love in years."

"I felt this way about a ghost, arguably worse than not feeling it at all," Clay sighed. "It's like you brought my heart back to life. Christ, now I'm definitely laying it on too thick."

"You're not," Quinn promised. "I absolutely love it; keep going."

"Can we keep going tomorrow, maybe?" Clay suggested. "I kind of like the feeling I get that you're in it for the long haul. And to be honest, I'm completely exhausted right now; it's been an insane week."

"Damn straight, I'm in it for the long haul," Quinn nodded firmly, but she wasn't sure Clay had heard her. His eyes had dropped shut so suddenly she couldn't help but smile to herself. Carefully extracting herself from his embrace, Quinn crept behind the sofa and stood there for a moment, massaging the remaining tension out of his shoulders. "I love you," she whispered, and when he smiled despite seeming fast asleep, she knew that Sara's ghost wasn't the only one in his dreams anymore. She had carved a place in his heart for herself by just being herself, and it was all she had ever wanted.

A/N A little extension of one of my fave moments, where insanely in love began. Enjoy! xx